VOICE OF THE PEOPLE (letter).

Holiday safety

For Americans, the 4th of July means wonderful celebrations of our country's beginnings with family and friends. Many of these celebrations will involve parades, picnics and fireworks.

The firefighters and paramedics of our area know all too well the dangers that exist when illegal fireworks are used to celebrate our country's birth. The firefighters and paramedics are the people who are called upon to deal with the injuries and death that are caused by illegal fireworks.

No parent would ever consider handing a child a stick of dynamite and saying, "have fun." But that is the amount of explosives that is in some of these illegal fireworks.

It is sad to say that the media are already beginning to report fireworks incidents for this year's holiday season. If you are going to observe fireworks to celebrate the 4th, be sure that it is only a legal display of fireworks that is being put on by a competent staff of professionals who understand how to handle these dangerous explosives.